Wandering soul
by penniewise
Summary: (Slightly rewritten) An old friend of Sparda appears to seek the Devil Hunters' help. Cthulhu is awakening and Dante is the only one who can stop him.
1. watching eyes

**Watching eyes**

    The dark night was only briefly illuminated by the weak light of the waning moon as the clouds drifted across the sky. A black shadow crept along the walls toward the house that was signalling its presence with a big neon sign.

     The shadow silently moved into a dark alley to avoid being spotted in the coloured light that spilled on to the wet street. It patiently awaited its prey and its patience was soon rewarded as the sound of two motorcycles echoed through the night. With an eager look in its eyes the creature crept closed, positioning itself so that it had a clear view and a clear path to the target.

    Oblivious to the fact that they were being watched, Dante and Trish pulled up outside 'Devil Never Cry' and got off their motorcycles. A pair of slanted green eyes narrowed in concentration as they watched Dante unlocked the front door and when he opened it and stepped aside to allow Trish to pass, the creature made its move. Out from the shadows it leapt and before either Dante or Trish could react the cat was inside the office, trimming its claws on the sofa.

    "Darn cat, you scared me half to death," Trish yelled.

    The black cat only gave her a dismissive look and strolled into the kitchen.

Dante shut the door with a bang and grumbled:

    "What's that stray doing in here again? I thought you got rid of it!"

    Trish shrugged and yawned, stretching her aching body.

    "I'm too tired to fight anything else tonight. You take care of it; see if you'll do any better."

    Walking up the stairs she heard Dante mumbling something about females, both human and feline.

    The cat sat on the counter watching Dante as he entered the kitchen. He opened the fridge to get a beer and then leaned against the opposite counter.

    "Look, you can't keep sneaking in here, it's no place for a cat," Dante said, feeling a bit stupid for trying to reason with an animal. The cat gave him a blank look and started cleaning its face.

    "Hey, shove off, get out," Dante suddenly yelled, waving at the cat who briefly hissed at him and the returned its attention to its fur.

    With a sigh Dante put down his beer bottle on the counter behind him and walked over to the cat and scoped it up and headed for the backdoor. The cat instantly started to wiggle and twist to free itself and finally, by sinking its sharp teeth in Dante's thumb, escaped his grip and ran into the office. Dante stomped after it while sucking his injured finger but the animal was gone without a trace.

    Today's work was beginning to take its toll, so Dante took a half hearted peek under the sofa and then with a shrug went upstairs to finally get some sleep. Halfway up the stairs he said over his shoulder:

    "Well stay then, but don't expect us to feed you."

    When the sound of his footsteps had died out, the cat squeezed out from under the wooden desk and, after a moment of cautiously listening after any sound that would announce the human's return, it sneaked through the open door that led to the basement. It climbed up on the high cupboard that contained various weapons and curled itself up into a furry ball and fell asleep with a content smirk on its face.

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    The next morning, after breakfast, Trish and Dante headed down to the exercise room in the basement and started training after a quick warm up. Wielding Alastor, Dante easily parried and returned Trish's attacks. After a few hours of training Dante almost had Trish pinned down and moved in for the finishing blow against her throat, when a small black shadow leapt from the top of the cupboard, aiming for Dante's back.

    After years of training Dante had trimmed his instincts to near perfection and sensed the attack, reacting without thinking. With a fluent motion he changes the direction of his blade and made a round sweep behind him. The cat only avoided being cut in half by twisting its body horizontally and then it landed unharmed between the two combatants.

    Dante stared at the animal. He had nothing against cats but this specific specimen was more then a little annoying. He watched guardedly as it approached him. With a low purr it softly buffed its head against Dante's knee as if it wanted to apologise for its prior rudeness.

     "That cat is really freaking me out AND getting on my nerves." Dante pushed the cat away and helped Trish up from the floor.

    "Yes, I am annoying, am I not?" a disembodied voice said with a slight chuckle.

    Dante and Trish stared at the cat that suddenly became still. Then it shrugged and started cleaning its paws.

    "Sorry to disappoint you but there are no talking cats whatever Lewis Carroll says. I am over here."

    They both looked around and noticed a shimmer in the air in front of them. A figure slowly started to materialise, turning out to be a young woman. She had long black hair, clear green eyes and the smooth complexion of a marble statue. She wore knee high top boots, closefitting pants and, over a simple shirt, a chain mail. Brushed back over her shoulders was a worn black hooded cloak that reached down to her heels.

    When she had fully materialised she took a step towards the pair standing in front of her. They instantly tensed up, preparing for her attack even though she was not armed. What they did not prepare for was for Alastor to tear itself from Dante's tight grip and fling itself towards the young woman. With an absent minded gesture she raised her hand and the sword made a sharp turn and buried itself point first in the wall.

    "I guess Alastor is still upset because I left him on Mallet Island," she said with a grin.


	2. acquaintances

**Acquaintances**

    "What do you mean 'YOU left'?" Dante cautiously asked.

    "It is a long story and I do not have time to tell it now. Time is running out and they may soon discover my presence here."

    "Who?" Trish asked.

    "The disciples of Cthulhu. I will explain all that later. The important thing is … will you assist me in destroying an evil that is threatening to destroy the world of humans? That is what you two do, is it not?"

    She gazed at them with an inquisitive look. Trish tore her eyes from Alastor that was still stuck in the wall and lightly swaying, and nodded.

    "Yes we do. And by the way, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Trish and this is Dante. And you are…?"

    "You can call me Neva. My real name has long ago lost its meaning."

    "Why should we trust you?" Dante said with a harsh tone to his voice "You could just as well be a demon trying to kill us, not that you would succeed, but it would be a big waste of our time."

    "Maybe you need time to think it over" Neva replied. "I can not give you all the information you need now. There is no time. If they find out that I have been here you are in danger. There are forces at work here that you could not anticipate.

    "I can anticipate a lot. That's my job. You get to see many strange things in my line of work." Dante raised an eyebrow, indicating that a thing like Neva's unorthodox entrance was nothing out of the ordinary.

    "This is not a mere demon invasion I am talking about. This is something that could wipe out humanity as we know it."

    "It always is, babe."

    "I told you there is no time. You father would not have wasted my time arguing."

    Dante walked over to where Alastor idly swayed and pulled the sword out of the wall.

    "Last time someone came in here talking about my father it was to lure me into a trap. I didn't appreciate it then and I won't appreciate it now."

    "I am not trying to lure you into a trap. I need to see the sword that your father left you, Dante."

    "What do you know about my father's sword?"

    "Well, I know that he stole it from me 2500 years ago. And now I need it back, in a manner of speaking."

     "He stole it!?" Dante began to get angry. This impertinent woman invaded his basement, accused his father of theft and on top of it all she had some connection with that infernal cat that had been pestering them for weeks.

    "To his defence I must say that I kind of let him steal Force Edge. It served my purpose at the time."

    Neva started walking towards the door, ignoring Dante's attempts to make her stay where she was. Dodging his arm she quickly ran up the stairs. She searched through the house and eventually found the sword where it stood leaning against Trish's bed.

    "Good, it had evolved, just what I had hoped." Neva already held Sparda in her hand when Dante burst through the door.

    "Drop it." Dante aimed his guns at the intruder's heart. She looked up and slowly put the large sword on the bed. With a serious face she looked straight into Dante's cold eyes.

    "There is no need to get violent. I pose no threat to you. We have met before you know," Neva said softly. "Maybe you were too young to remember. This might refresh your memory." She closed her eyes and her image started to blur. When she came into focus again her hair was drawn back into a bun in the back of her neck and her slender figure was clad in a light grey business suit. The sight of her strict appearance suddenly triggered a memory deep inside Dante's mind.

_    A strange woman leaned over him and tried to comfort him. Her green eyes were sad when she addressed the police officer standing beside them._

_    "What happened?" she asked._

_    "There was a fire, the house was completely destroyed. This boy was the only survivor. It looks like it was the act of a pyromaniac. Two bodies were found but they were burned beyond recognition. We find it likely that it was his mother and brother." The officer calmly repeated the information that was released to the press._

_    "The monsters … they … they killed them." Dante stuttered, trying to forget the images forever burnt into his mind._

_    "Shh, this is no place to talk about that." The young green-eyed woman looked into his eyes and gently put her fingers over his mouth._

    Dante blinked his unseeing eyes and slowly returned to the present.

    "You were there after my mother's death. You're the one who arranged for me to live with Ben."

    "Yes, a good choice of foster parents, was it not? I thought that Ben and Jenna would be the right ones to prepare you for your destiny. And I see that they left you their guns."

    Dante smiled at the memory of his foster parents who had later adopted him, two devil hunters who had taught him everything he knew.

    "So, will you now consider helping me in my fight? I need for you to trust me completely."

    "Yes, I will consider it. But I think I'll need some more information."

    "That you will receive. If you and your lovely sidekick will be so gracious as to visit me in my office I will tell you everything. Now I must leave. There is no point in attracting too much attention."

    Neva changed back to her previous appearance, put her hand behind her back and with a flourish it returned with a card that she handed him. Then she picked up the cat that had strolled into the room and shimmered out.

    Dante stood still for a while, looking at the spot where Neva has disappeared and then looked at the card. There was a down town address written on it. He heard a shuffle behind him and turned to face Trish who leaned against the doorframe, looking at him with a troubled look.

    "Who's Lewis Carroll?"


	3. explanations

**Explanations**

    "Hey, you didn't answer my question." Trish caught up with Dante as he stopped in front of the bookcase that covered the wall opposite his ghastly trophies.

    "What?" he said absentmindedly.

    "Who is Lewis Carroll?"

    "Oh, he wrote a book about some girl who crawled down a rabbit hole. I think it's on the second shelf near the middle." Dante pointed as he pulled out a volume about gods with the other hand.

    Trish found the book he pointed to and read the title, _Alice__'s adventures in Wonderland_. She started to leaf through it, stopping at times to read selected parts of the text.

    "Dante, this is a children's book. Have you read this?"

    Dante looked up and suddenly realised what they were talking about.

    "No, I haven't!"

    "But, how come you know the plot, then!?"

    "Ehh… ok, I might have read it at some point. You know…research."

    "Research!? In case you should be attacked by a deranged stack of cards armed with…flamingos?"

    "Ehh…yeah. Hurry up now, we have work to do." Dante quickly disappeared up the stairs, leaving Trish, who roared with laughter, behind him.

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    The large sword cut through the air, swirling around its wielder, obeying her every thought. Her slender frame concealed a remarkable strength. Effortlessly she twirled and danced around the room with her Claymore in a firm grip, attacking and blocking imagined foes.

    A shrill tone caught her attention and while wiping the sweat from her forehead she pressed the button on the intercom with the tip of the sword.

    "Yes?"

    "You have visitors, Madame."

    "Show them to the library Alicia, and tell them that I will be with them momentarily."

    Neva stretched her muscles as she walked up to one of the walls of the room. It was covered with a wide variety of weapons from all over the world, collected during the long span of her life. An empty space showed the Claymore's resting place. It was her favourite weapon despite, or maybe because of, its weight and its massive blade. Compared to a katana it was more like a sledgehammer then a sword but she liked the momentum it gave. Her inhuman strength gave her the possibility to wield the two-handed sword effortlessly. Neva hung it back on the wall and in her mind she went through what she would tell the devil hunter and his companion.

    By concentrating for a second Neva transformed her battle gear into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. She let down her hair and quickly combed her fingers through it as she walked towards the door that connected the armoury with the library. Stepping through the doorway she saw Trish lounging in one of the brown leather chairs, while Dante paced up and down the length of the room fully armed in his usual fashion. Trish had laid Sparda on the large desk which Neva used for maps.

    At the sound of the door closing, Dante stopped his pacing and looked up. Neva could sense that he was agitated and she knew that it was the involvement of his family that had gotten to him. She had observed him for a while now and she knew that this was his only weak point. A grief stricken child within him still relived that tragic day, whenever he was reminded of his family.

    "Please sit, make yourselves at home." With an inviting gesture Neva motioned for Dante to sit down in the other chair beside Trish. With a brief shake of his head Dante declined, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned his shoulder against a bookcase. With a silent sigh Neva sat down on the edge of her desk.

    "Well, I am glad that you both came, even though I can see that you still do not trust me. As I said before I need your help. And this," she said as she put her hand on a big book that was lying beside her,"is the reason why."

    Trish rose from the chair and leaned forward to look at the book.

    "_Al Azif_…this looks really old."

    "Yes it is. It was written in 724 A.D. by the Moorish poet Abdul Alhazred who later went mad and died. It is also known as _the Necronomicon_ or _the_ _Book of Dead Nam_es. This book contains the truth about the Elder Ones that once reigned over the earth."

    "Like demons and stuff?"

    "No, long before demons and humans were created. Civilizations have risen and fallen between their time and ours. Many stories and legends around the world contain fragments of the truth about the Elder Ones. In some they have been portrayed as monsters, in some as gods. All stories still agree upon one thing: they came as destroyers to lay waste the earth in their search for more power and dark magic. Without doubt they would have succeeded if not the Ancient Gods had become aware of their schemes and had been angered by the Elder Ones attempts to challenge them. Without hesitation the mighty gods cast them into oblivion."

    Trish ran her fingers across the bindings of the book and shrugged her shoulders.

    "What's the problem then? The monsters are gone and everyone lived happily ever after."

    "Unfortunately," Neva said dryly, "the monsters are not gone. There is one in particularly that is a problem. He is called Cthulhu. Even though he is not one of the Elder Ones he holds unbelievable powers. He is the High Priest, and when the stars are properly aligned he will summon the Elder Ones and they will yet again reign over the world."

    Against his will Dante's interest was awoken. He had a faint memory of hearing someone talk about the book that was lying on this woman's desk. He casually sauntered closer. It definitely looked its age and seemed to have been through some rough times. The leather cover was engraved with golden letters and decorations, now faded, and the leather it was made of seemed to be unbelievably smooth. When he reached out and stroked his fingers across the leather he realised that it was human skin. Dante scowled, pulled away his hand and looked around at the other books that covered the walls of the room. They were an assorted collection and some seemed as unpleasant as the one occupying the desk. Among the hundreds of books he could make out titles like _De vermis mysteriis_ and _Unaussprechlichen__ Kulten_. As he took a closer look, part of the women's conversation caught his attention.

    "Why is the sword Dante inherited from his father so important?"

    "Force Edge, or Sparda as you call it, was forged with the sole purpose of being the instrument with which Cthulhu would be killed. He, as the Elder Ones, can not be killed by ordinary weapons and certainly not by humans. This is the reason why the dwarfs of Svartálfaheimr forged Force Edge. Their magic…"

    A sudden noise interrupted Neva and the library door burst open.

    "I'm sorry to interrupt, Madame, but we are under attack!" A young woman who Dante recognised as the secretary clung to the doorknob. She was visibly shaken; her eyes were wide with fear. Neva quickly jumped of the desk and grabbed the girl by the arms, shaking her softly.

    "Alicia, calm down. Have they broken through the outer defences?"

    "Yes, MacDougall has locked down the second floor to prevent further access. What are we going to do?"

    "You and the office staff are going to get to the roof and escape in the helicopter. Now go, hurry up!"

    Alicia ran out the door to her desk, used the intercom to alert the staff and then she disappeared through a door leading to the roof.

    Neva turned to her guests and motioned for them to follow her, picking up Sparda and handing it to Trish. With long strides she walked through the room and through the door into the armoury. As she picked some weapons from the walls she talked to them over her shoulder.

    "As you heard, this building is under attack. There is a secret cult that is trying to hinder my mission and its members will stop at nothing. They still do not know of your involvement, so you are in no danger. When you get a chance you should get out of here, I will meet you as soon as I can at your office. We will have to make our way down to the basement in order for you to leave."

    Neva transformed her clothes into the outfit with chain mail and top boots that she had worn when Dante and Trish had first meet her. With a sawed-off shotgun strapped to her back, throwing knives in her belt and a short staff in her hand she walked out of the room, heading for the stairs that lead down to the lower floors.

    The three made their way down the abandoned stairwell. As they neared the second floor, sounds of fighting became audible. A massive steel door blocked the way. Neva spoke a short command and the sound of bolts moving was heard. The door opened, giving them access to the second floor. Waving Dante and Trish through, she stepped into the room, the door closing behind them.

    Mayhem awaited them on the second floor. A crowd of black clad cult members was fighting a small group of Neva's followers. As Dante, Trish and Neva took in the scene a large red haired man briefly became visible in the mass of fighting people. When he saw Neva he made a desperate gesture, signalling the grave situation he and the others were in.

    "MacDougall!" cried Neva and then she went head first into the battle, clearing a way with forceful sweeps of her staff. Dante and Trish followed her example and launched into battle. Slowly making his way through the enemy lines Dante caught glimpses of Neva as she was now fighting at MacDougall's side. He had to admit that she seemed to know what she was doing. The number of foes was quickly diminishing and when the room was cleared Neva came up to the devil hunters.

    "In the other room there is a stairway that leads directly to the garage in the basement. My men and I will keep these fools at bay so you two can sneak out of here. I will meet up with you later; I just have to clear the building from attackers."

    "Sure you don't need any help?" Trish asked, but Neva just shook her head. They stepped into the other room and while Neva, MacDougall and his men took on the new foes, Dante and Trish slipped through the door leading to the stairway.

    As they entered the underground garage they were spotted by a small group of cult members. Shouting, they stormed the pair, mistaking them for an easy target. Not bothering to draw their weapons Trish and Dante awaited the attack. Dante sidestepped his first assailant and knocked him out with a high kick to the chin, before turning to knock out another one with a heavy blow of his fist. The fight was quickly over. The black clad members lay scattered on the floor, dead or unconscious. Trish and Dante got on their bikes and left the building behind them, still puzzled and full of questions. Suddenly, something that Neva had said when they first had met, surfaced in Dante's mind.

    "Was she around 2500 years ago?"


	4. soul wanderer

    I like to thank all of you who have given me reviews. I'm really happy that you liked Neva since she is my OC and have been living in my head for a while. Now let's continue!

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**Soul wanderer**

    As they made their way through the streets both Trish and Dante were occupied with their own thoughts. Dante was stricken by the recollecting of Neva's first appearance in his office. He was well aware that the mentioning of his family had made him less inclined to listen to the intruder, making him miss some of the things she had said. But one piece of information had apparently been stored in the deeper crevices of his mind.

    "Is she really that old? Where she around before my father battled Mundus?" The half whispered words were ripped from his lips by the wind as he followed Trish down the road in their usual speed, well above the speed limit.

    Later, when they had taken off some of their arsenal, including their swords, and laid slumped in the battered sofa that occupied a corner of the office, Dante asked Trish what she thought about the whole thing. She laid her head on the armrest, putting her legs over Dante's knee and stared up into the ceiling.

    "Well, there are demons that are that old. I'm not sure what she is but she's not human that's for certain. There something in her eyes… and that skin! And did you see that thing when she changed clothes in a blink of an eye. That would come in handy when you're in a rush."

    "But what is she?" Dante knotted his brow as he pondered the possibilities.

Trish stretched and smirked, mildly amused by the thought that the devil hunter had found a conundrum that could leave him stumped.

    "Whatever she is I have a feeling that we will find out soon. I really don't think that she's out to kill us, but on the other hand it wouldn't be the first time someone sent you on a wild goose chase just trying to eliminate you."

    "Yeah, you should know since you're one of them." With a teasing grin Dante stretched out his long legs and put his hands behind his head. Trish made a face at him and then they settled down. They both figured there was not much to do but wait until their mysterious would-be employer appeared.

    After half an hour of waiting and small talk they finally heard a knock on the door. Trish swung her legs of Dante's lap and went to open the door. Neva stepped in and looked around.

    "You had no problem getting home, I hope. We found the cult members you left in garage. Nice work. Now, it is not safe here, we have to move on. I have a place in the woods that is well protected."

    "You know, we haven't accepted the job yet." Dante spoke up, feeling that Neva's assumption that they would obey her every word, was getting on his nerves. His statement made Neva's confidence falter. She stood frozen for a second with her eyes fixed on Dante's face.

    "But…but you have to. If we do not stop Cthulhu the world is doomed."

    "As I said before, they all say that. If you have any connecting with what happened on Mallet Island, I see no reason to trust you."

    Trish, knowing Dante's urge to sometimes mouth off to people, stood back and watched. She knew that he would take any opportunity to kick some monster butt; he just had some issues with people ordering him around. She glanced at Neva to see how she coped with being questioned, and flinched. Neva's eyes were virtually smouldering. Her gaze revealed a desperation that bordered on insanity. Her sudden change from cool to hot headed made Trish so dumbfounded that she just stood staring at the scene when Neva, shaking with emotion, hissed at Dante, "If you do not come willingly I will make you." She shut her eyes and her face went blank, a slight shimmer enveloping her body.

    Dante's eyes grew wide and then he screamed, reaching for his gun, aiming them at Neva's head. "AAAHH! Get out of my head, you bi-." Suddenly he broke of and his face went blank. His eyes stared into oblivion, betraying no feeling at all. With one smooth movement he twirled the guns in his hands, handing them over to Neva. At that instant a metallic hissing was heard as Alastor, which Dante had leaned against the sofa, unsheathed itself and whipped through the air, burying itself point first in the raven haired woman's shoulder. The blade pierced the chain mail and stopped with an inch of its point protruding from her back. She staggered backwards and by the sheer force of the impact smashed into the door. Trish finally shook herself out of her paralysis and ran up to Dante who was swaying slightly while gripping his head.

    "Are you okay?"

    Dante cautiously turned his head and looked at her. "Yeah, I think so, but I have a hell of a head ache."

    A muffled gasp was heard and they both turned towards the door. Alastor was slowly twisting in Neva's shoulder, trying to inflict as much damage as possible. Neva looked up and tried to give them a smile. "Could anyone get this sword out of me?"

    Dante leaned forward, gripping Alastor's hilt. "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right here and now." He did not move until Neva's eyes met his and she almost automatically replied.

    "Because you can not kill me. You are not strong enough."

    Their eyes locked for a while until Dante reluctantly backed down. Neva arched a brow at Dante, indicating that he would do something about the sword that still was piercing her shoulder. He stepped back and pulled out the sword. Trish guardedly stepped forward and gripped her uninjured arm. The devil hunter and his demonic sidekick regarded this woman who seemed to have more secrets than anyone else they ever met. Neva met their gaze and seemed to understand their hesitation to trust her.

    "I swear on your father's sword, Dante, that I am not trying to deceive you and that I will not attack you again. I am afraid that I overreacted a bit."

    "Damn right you did!" Dante was rubbing his temple, giving her a sour glance. "What the HELL were you doin' inside my head? Now I have a freakin' head ache. Thanks a lot! And why should we believe you?"

    "Because, unlike Alastor, Force Edge is one of the two things in this world that can kill me. See?" She moved her shoulder, making the chain mail reveal the gaping cut where Alastor had gone through her. The wound was quickly closing as they watched it. Even the blood disappeared.

    "Now loan me Force Edge." Neva stretched out her hand towards Trish who hesitantly handed her the sword, hilt first. Neva pulled up her sleeve and drew the edge of the blade against her skin, making a long cut, just deep enough to draw blood. The crimson fluid ran along her arm, dripping on the floor. With her hand she wiped at the blood covering the wound to show them that the cut was not healing. "Do you believe me now?"

    Trish and Dante both nodded in affirmation and then Trish motioned for Dante to go fetch the first aid kit and a rag to clean the blood of the floor.

    As Dante stalked off, the two women stood looking at each other.

    "What did you do with Dante?" Trish asked. Her voice was brimmed with curiosity.

    "I let a part of my soul take over his body."

    "Your soul?!"

    "Yes, I am a Soul Wanderer."

    "How does that work? I have never heard about that before."

    "By sending a little piece of my soul into a person, or an animal for that matter, I can control them, or just use their eyes to see what they see. That is how I used the cat."

    "So you spied on us through the cat?"

    "No, I do not spy. I watch. I had to make sure that Dante was strong enough to deal with the task that I need him to perform."

    "What task," Dante interrupted as he entered the room again but he got no answer. After handing the first aid kit to Trish, he picked up Alastor's sheath and strapped it to his back. He was still holding the sword in his hand. He stared at it for a while and then glanced at the woman who was being bandaged by Trish.

    "What is up with this sword attacking you all the time? It never used to attack people on its own accord before you can along."

    "It attacked you once, did it not?" Neva responded.

    "Yes, but-"

    "If you had not been worthy you had died. It was a test."

    "So Alastor is testing you?"

    "No, he just hates me. I will explain later. Now with your permission…" Neva bowed mockingly, gesturing towards the front door. With a grunt, Dante sheathed Alastor and walked outside. Trish and Neva shortly followed him, sharing an amused look. They were starting to get along fine.

    "Are we riding in that!?" Dante pointed at the vehicle parked in front of the building. Neva just nodded and walked to the driver side. As she climbed inside, Dante stood regarding the oddest looking vehicle he had ever seen. It had once, in its former life, been an ordinary military jeep from WWII but now it seemed to have mutated. Instead of the normal 15" tires it was now sporting 40" tires with heavy duty tread. The front of the pitch black jeep was adorned with a steel grille guard and a winch. As he handed his sword to Trish and got into the passenger seat he noticed that an aluminium cage was bolted to the inside frame, giving the occupants protection in case the vehicle would roll over.

    Trish, who had climbed into the backseat and held a tight grip on their swords, put on her seat belt as Neva turned the ignition and steered away from the curb. By the sound of the engine Dante knew that a V8 was installed instead of the old four-stroke engine that was standard. He wondered for a while why the jeep had been so extremely modified but he soon forgot his thoughts when he became aware of their speed.

    Neva was speeding up while glancing in the rear view mirror. As she took a curve on two wheels she smiled at her passengers. "We have company." Dante looked in the mirror and saw that a dark station wagon was trying to keep up with them. It was not doing a very good job. Neva sped onto the freeway that lead out of town and was slowly putting a growing distance to their followers, weaving in and out between other cars. As they left the city behind them the traffic cleared and she pressed the accelerator to the floor. The head lights of the chasing car slowly disappeared. Neva saw that their pursuers were giving up but she did not slow down.

    The jeep roared through the dark, making the passing trees blur.


	5. A glimpse of the stars

**A glimpse of the stars**

    After an hour or so of speeding through the countryside, Neva started to slow down. She checked the mirrors for any signs of approaching cars or other possible spectators. When she was satisfied with the lack of eyewitnesses, she gave her passengers a look and told them to hold on. The jeep slowed down further and then she abruptly turned hard left, aiming straight for the trees that lined the road.

    "Whoa, watch were you're going, babe!" Dante gave the female in the driver seat a sideways look as he grabbed the sides of his seat, and saw her grin happily.

    "Do not worry, my dear Sparda. I know what I am doing."

    On that cue the jeep went of the road and dived into the ditch, nose first. The passengers was given a brief view of muddy water only to, in the next second, stare at the star filled sky as the rear sank into the ditch. The rear tires were slightly spinning against the slippery grass along the sides of the ditch, but the jeep was soon on level ground and Neva proceeded in among the trees until they could not be seen from the highway. There she killed the engine and got out.

    "Wait here, I will just cover our tracks." She turned and broke of a thick branch from a nearby fir and walked back to the highway. When she reached the road, she started to sweep the branch over the gravel to cover the tire tracks. She lightly ruffled the grass, making it rise, and swept back the mud into the ditch. With a flat stone she scraped up the clots of mud that had fallen from the tread of the tires and threw it back where it belonged.

    Finally she stepped back, scanning the ground to make sure there were no telltale signs of their unorthodox exit. Pleased with her work, Neva headed back among the trees, turning her attention to the jeep. She picked up a small twig and crouched down beside the vehicle. By pressing the twig into the air valve of each tire she let out some of the compressed air, improving traction. While airing the front tires she also turned the locking hubs to enable four wheel drive.

    Climbing back into the driver seat she found Dante staring at her with his arms folded over his chest.

    "Were exactly are you taking us?" he asked. He was clearly not happy with her habit of keeping them in the dark. Being dragged around by her to God knew where, was not Dante's idea of a good time and he started to lose his patience. Trish on the other hand was apparently having the time of her life.

    "That was cool! Are we gonna drive through the woods? Can you do that? Is that's why this car has so big tires?"

    Bouncing like an overexcited kid in the backseat, she fired questions at Neva. Her short time on earth had only exposed her to Dante's interests, involving bikes, drinking and killing. This mission would maybe give her a broader view of life. There were so much more in the world then the dusty innards of the Devil Never Cry. Besides, Trish felt a connection to the dark haired woman in the driver seat even though she sensed that Neva was trying to keep a distance to other people.

    "There is a large underground facility up in the mountains an hour's drive from here. That is where we are going." Neva answered. "And yes, we are going to drive through the woods. There is a rough trail up ahead." Neva suppressed a smile at the sight of the she-devil's excited face.

    The V8 roared to life and Neva slowly negotiated her way through the trees. After a short while they hit an old dirt road that had seen better days. Years of erosion and frost had taken its toll. The road was littered by potholes and large stones that had worked their way up through the ground.

    With practiced ease Neva steered the jeep around and occasionally over the obstacles. She made sure to hit the larger stones that blocked their way front tire first so the jeep would not straddle them and bust the oil pan or any other vital parts.

    After approximately an hour of constant climbing, the dirt road reached a rock wall and made a sharp turn. Neva stopped in front of the high rock face and leaned back to pull a walkie talkie from her backpack that was placed at Trish's feet.

    Neva pushed the com button and mumbled something. A loud rumble was heard from the mountainside and a portion of the cliff right in front of the jeep started sliding inwards. It was a hidden door, large enough to let a tank through.

    When the door had disappeared and revealed the opening Neva drove forward into a large tunnel stretching into the dark. She turned in the head lights and the light played across the grey concrete walls as they moved deeper into the mountain.


	6. The Base

**The base**

"Ah, there you are, lassie!" A rumbling voice with a faint Scottish accent greeted them as the jeep finally came to a halt. The three occupants got out and Neva walked up to her faithful security officer to get the latest reports. The two devil hunters looked around. They were standing in a large underground garage. Its military origin was clearly visible in the rusting heaps of metal junk that littered the corners and in the use of colours. It was deserted save for the man that now turned away from his female employer and gave them a large grin. The burly Scotsman grabbed Dante's hand and then gave him a slap on the back that almost sent Dante reeling.

"We didn't meet properly last time, I'm Sean MacDougall and you are the son of Sparda and Eva. I can see the resemblance. You have his eyes and hair. Aah, he was a great man. I remember the first time I met him. And your mother was a fine lass. She always had a kind word for a scrawny lad. I always tried to catch a glimpse of her when I was running errands for the missus here. And…blablabla"

Dante blinked at the bombardment of words that the older man shot at him. Wave after wave of monolog washed over him and Trish, who had also been sucked in like a satellite into a black hole. To their relief Neva came up to them and interrupted the red haired man's tirade.

"Could you please show them to their quarters, Sean? I have to go to the infirmary and talk to the doctor."

"Of course I can. You two just follow me and we will soon have you settled in." MacDougall put his arms around the devil hunters' shoulders and started to walk away.

"I think Dante can manage that," Trish piped up. "I'd really like to see the infirmary." The sudden assault of MacDougall's extrovert personality was too much for her. Her life before she met Dante had been a solitary one. She had some problems handling crowds, and the large Scotsman was a crowd all on his own.

Somehow sensing Trish's distress Neva politely pulled her from MacDougall's grip and gave him a smile.

"You men can go ahead and take care of the arrangements. We will meet you there later."

"As you wish, lass."

Without further delay they parted and went their separate ways. MacDougall had instantly resumed his tirade and was making explanatory gestures with his free hand while he led Dante to their destination.

Trish followed Neva to a dull grey door that opened into a long corridor. They stepped through and started walking down the echoing passage.

When Neva started picking up the pace, Trish gave her a sideways glance. By the look on Neva's face she could tell that she was lost in troubled thoughts, so Trish walked silently by her side and occasionally peek inside the open doorways they passed.

Soon Neva stopped outside a double door that had the word "Infirmary" painted across them in bold letters. She took a deep breath and pushed open the doors.

At the sound of the doors opening, a nurse turned and then hurriedly rushed to a tall skinny man in a white coat who stood further away from the entrance. When the nurse touched his arm he looked up, and immediately walked toward the visitors with long strides.

"How is she?" Neva asked, as the doctor came to a halt in front of her.

"She's conscious. But I fear that it's only a matter of time. The damage to her brain is too difficult to pinpoint, but it's causing it to slowly shut down."

"I want to see her." Neva motioned for the doctor to lead the way and they followed him past the rows of beds that lined the walls in the large rectangular room.

"Who's hurt?" Trish whispered to Neva.

"Alicia, my secretary. She was attacked on the roof during the evacuation."

The doctor stopped at a bed where a female lay with closed eyes. The young woman was pale but there were no other signs of sickness. At the sound of footsteps her eyes fluttered open and she greeted them with a weak smile.

"Madame," she breathed.

"Hello Alicia. How are you feeling?" Neva gently took her hand. It felt lifeless and cold. When Alicia tried to squeeze her hand Neva could only feel a slight twitch that indicating that there was still life in her body.

"Cold….it's so dark."

"Alicia, I will try to help you. Just relax." Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Neva closed her eyes. Trish recognized the expression settling on the Soul Wanderer's face. Neva's soul was reaching out, cautiously touching the injured mind. Tiny green sparks started to shimmer in the depths of Alicia's grey eyes. On the other side of the bed the doctor seemed to hold his breath.

Finally, after a long tense silence, Neva opened her eyes, her serene expression fading.

"Madame?" Alicia looked at her with a hopeful face. Neva gave her a bright smile.

"Do not worry; all you need now is some rest. Just try to go to sleep." Neva gave her secretary's hand a final squeeze and then put it back to rest on the woman's chest. She stood up and walked towards the exit. Trish and the doctor trailed after her, anxiously watching. The happy face she had put on faltered as she turned away from the bed.

"What did you find?" The doctor was hovering beside Neva as she stopped by the doors.

"Her mind is closed to me and so it will be until she dies. I can not get through to heal her injuries. She will probably soon slip into a coma."

"But, why? She was no threat to anyone." The doctor shook his head.

"I do not know. Please inform me if there are any changes in her condition." Neva turned and walked out the doors. Trish looked down the length of the room toward Alicia's bed. She felt a sudden uneasiness at the sight of the pale woman. Something was very wrong here, but she could not put her finger on it. Pushing the feeling aside for future examination, she followed her hostess.

.

-:-:-:-:-

.

Matching the strides of the huge Scotsman was a breeze, compared to keeping up with his machine gun monologue. Dante's mind boggled with all the information it was receiving. He had been fully briefed on the events that had led to MacDougall's employment here. He had also been treated to some anecdotes from the man's random encounters with Dante's parents. Now the man was re-enacting some of the battles he had lived through during his life as a mercenary.

Dante silently walked by his side, occasionally ducking a flailing arm. Suddenly something MacDougall said caught his attention.

"Half god?"

"Yup, Neva's a half god. Haven't she told you?"

"No, I think she left that part out. What kind of god is she?"

"Well, she not really a god of something, she doesn't rule over anything in particular. She was only created for one thing, to destroy Cthulhu. Her twin brother-"

"Twin brother?"

"Yes, Mr what's-his-name. Sorry, but I can't pronounce it, it's in some ancient extinct language. I think the missus is the only one that still speaks it properly. Anyway, her twin brother was supposed to be the slayer, Neva was only providing the juice, you know, her soul."

"What's her soul got to do with it? All you need is a proper sword."

"It's not that simple, but I guess the missus will tell you all about the killing part. After all that's what you're here for. Oh, and don't tell her I told you about her brother. She's kind of sensitive about that. She kind of lost it when he was…killed."

"Lost it?"

"Yeah, she went kind of mad and killed one of her priests. There was something about him betraying her, and then she disappeared for a while. I don't know. That was over two thousand years ago so you can't really relay on the rumours."

"How do you know all this? Surely you weren't around two thousand years ago?"

"I've read the chronicles. There's a huge library back in Scotland in one of the headquarters. The priests have been writing down these things since Neva and her brother was born. She has a small cult of her own, you know."

"I figured that much, with all the priests and headquarters and stuff."

"Anyway---Oh, here we are. Your quarters, sir." MacDougall stood at attention and gave Dante a salute, but his wide grin spoiled the serious pose.

"Would you like two rooms or one? Is that lady your wife?"

"Eh, not wife-"

"Right then, this will be your room and I'll place the young lady in the next one. Will that do?"

"Guess so." Dante peeked inside the room. It was more like a cell, the only furniture being a bunk and a night stand. Pegs hammered into the grey concrete wall served as coat hangers.

"Cozy."

"I know. Those military lads aren't that good at interior decoration. Tragic really. First forced to sleep in a place like this, buried underground like in a coffin, and then you go out and get your ass blown off."

"And I suppose a mercenary gets to sleep in more luxurious places?" Dante shut the door and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Nah, as a mercenary you're most likely to end up sleeping under a bush and then get your ass blown off, if you can't get the other guy first, that is."

The Scotsman's grinning face made Dante laugh. This was a man that didn't seem to take life too serious, but Dante had a feeling that MacDougall took his own life, and the lives of his friends, very seriously and was lethal when defending it. He had seen him fighting during the evacuation.

"Enjoying yourselves, I see." Neva came walking towards the two men, closely followed by Trish. Dante thought he saw a glimpse of worry on their faces, but it quickly disappeared when they got closer. He shrugged mentally and figured he would ask Trish about it later. For the moment he was more interested in getting some sleep. His head still ached after Neva's little mind trick and he had a feeling that he would need his strength in the morning. Trish was starting to look worn as well, and soon Neva said good night and left. MacDougall lingered, anxious to see that all was to their pleasing. Under his watchful eyes Trish and Dante went to their separate rooms.

.

-:-:-:-:-

.

The door creaked slightly as it opened. Light from the corridor spilt inside the dark room, illuminating a sleeping Dante, his bare chest slowly rising and falling with every breath. The silhouette of a woman was briefly visible in the opening, then the door closed and darkness once again filled the room.

Dante was woken by a most pleasant feeling, slender fingers lightly touching his torso. They slowly moved further up his body, sliding over his chest.

"Trish?" he murmured, sleep still fogging his brain.

He felt the warmth of a soft body against his left side and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down on top of him. Suddenly cold steel rested against the skin of his throat.

"Wanna play it ruff, ey?" He grabbed the hand that was holding the blade to his windpipe.

Suddenly the door burst open and he could see a figure outlined against the light in the opening.

"Dante!"

He looked up and squinted as the lights were turned on. Trish was standing in the middle of the room, staring at him. He looked down at the person lying on top of him.

"Dante! What are you doing?" Trish asked with a sharp tone.

"What? Oh, her. I thought she came with the room. You know, like complimentary mints on the pillow." He gave her a cheesy smile.

The girl in his arms struggled and managed to take the scalpel in her free hand. The razor sharp edge gleamed in the light. She took another swing at Dante's throat but he quickly let go of her waist and caught that hand too. Sitting up, he shifted his grip so he held both her wrists with one hand and turned her around, placing her on his lap, facing Trish.

"Oh! My! God! It's Neva's secretary!" Trish gasped as she gained a clear view of the girl's face.

"Compliments from the boss? Maybe she's not as uptight as she seems."

"Oh, will you shut up! She's not supposed to wander around here. She's not even supposed to be able to get out of bed."

"She seems fine to me. Mighty fine!" Dante wiggled his eyebrows, imitating Groucho Marx.

"Get serious! I'll go fetch Neva."

"Can you just hold her for a second, while I get dressed? I wouldn't wanna embarrass anyone."

Trish stepped forward and took hold of Alicia's arms, forcing her to stand up and drop the scalpel. Dante threw the covers aside and stood up. He walked over to the pegs where his clothes were hanging and started to dress. Trish rolled her eyes and promptly turned Alicia's face towards the wall, not wanting her to gawp at Dante, since he was butt naked.

"You don't have a modest bone in you, do you?" Trish only received a gleeful grin at that comment. She sighed and shook her head. He could be so trying at times. For one thing, he saw girls that tried to kill him as a perk.

Dante sat down on the bed and pulled on his black biker boots. He had not bothered with the vest and coat, he had only put on his thin black turtle neck sweater and his red leather pants. By habit he also strapped the twin holsters to his thighs, checking the guns.

"Now go and fetch Neva. I'd like to know why her secretary sneaks into my room and tries to cut my throat."

"Your wish is my command. Not." Trish opened the door and walked out to find Neva.


End file.
